Christmas Table Runners

I finished three of the four table runners I was making, with the intent of branching our our sewing business to items that people may want for themselves OR give as a gift!  Maybe someone will want to treat themselves to one of these Christmas decorations for their house?  

 

FNSI: November 16, 2012

I was a little late-to-the-game signing up for FNSI, but to tell the truth, the days since October 29th, when Hurricane Sandy joined with other storms to become Frakenstorm, have blurred together.  Hard to believe we are at mid-November when we didn't even have Halloween!

I'll post other pictures from Long Beach, where the storm is VERY well known because of the destruction left behind.  As a nice distraction, I managed to get some Christmas table runner patchwork tops together, the two green and blue ones, and cut the batting and back for the green and red.  I also cut some new beach totes - in hopes of the beach being open next summer and all life back to normal. :-)

I also bundled up some selvages / selvedges to sell off.  I listed them in the shop - just to add some color, here are some of those if interested!

Can't wait to check out some other FNSI results!

FNSI: May 18, 2012 Results

This FNSI was also my 10th year wedding anniversary.  Thankful that I was off from work, I was able to get some full-time job stuff, anniversary things, and FNSI items all into the schedule!  I didn't have a lot of time Friday night since Mr. Olive took me to dinner (more on the anniversary in a separate post), but I did manage to complete a second tote bag in this fabulous charcoal gray, and purple / plum color chunky paisley / floral fabric....I also like the reverse dot.  I finished the first one last weekend, but the second stood on two halves.  Now it is on the "complete" pile and ready to be inventory for the 3 summer craft fairs we do.

I also finished a quilt top.  The charm back is called "Summersault" and the fabric designer name is escaping me....but I got the patched top done - now for borders and back.  I really like the bright colors of this collection.  I'm hoping to get this done before the next FNSI. :-)  I have two charm packs so I will have to make the second top so I can get both done for the fairs.

Hope you had a good Friday Night!

May 18th - FNSI and Our 10 Year Anniversary!

This Friday is the May 2012 Friday Night Sew-In.  If interested in signing up, click on the blog-button I have posted on the left side!

This Friday is also our 10 year anniversary....cannot believe its been that long and wonder how we ever made it to 10, ha ha, but it is coming up!  We follow the traditional gift guide and for 10 it's "Tin / Aluminum".  I have my gifts and will post pics once Mr. Olive has opened.

Happy Thursday!

Our 100th Etsy Sale! & Happy Mother's Day!

I've been doing the happy-dance for a day!  We got our 100th Etsy sale yesterday, May 12, 2012.  AND the best part? It was to a customer who had just purchased a beach bag for herself and liked it so much, she decided to buy one for her mother.  This was the bag:

I have loved this fabric and thought I'd sell more of them, but turns out, they did better in craft fairs than on Etsy.  Maybe the pictures didn't show the colors as well?  I'm thrilled it is going to a happy-repeat-buyer.  :-) 

I got to spend Mother's Day with my fantastic mom and my fantastic daughter out on Fire Island.  Beautiful weather.  Mr. Olive and my Dad did alot of the outside work at my parent's beach house and I took care of the inside cleaning.  Opening the house is a big job and I feel that it shouldn't have to fall onto my aging parents when we are local and can surely do the heavy-lifting.  It was a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! 

Wishing a Happy to all those moms out there...I hope you did what made you happy.

99 Etsy Sales!

When I opened the Etsy shop at the end of 2008, I had visions of being able to work my real job part-time because my sewing business would skyrocket with sales!  Alas, it has been a slow-road, and I'm still working my real job full-time, but with the purchase yesterday of this beach bag, I now clock in at 99 sales......who will be my 100th?  What will it be?  I think I'm going to do a give-away to celebrate the big 1-0-0 when it gets here.....

Happy Friday!

FNSI: April 20, 2012 RESULTS

For my FNSI, I didn't make a pillowcase for the cancer cause, which I do feel guilty about.  I'm confined to the house from a dermatologist procedure so I didn't get to go to the fabric store for a suitable fabric to use.  But, I did have fabrics from my trip to Florida that I wanted to make into beach bags AND I had a jelly roll sitting in my sewing room that I planned for a new quilt. 

I started around 5:30 pm since 1) I was home, 2) I'd already washed floors, cleared junk mail, sorted laundry, cleaned the kitchen windows, and 3) watched the movie "Something Borrowed" that my husband chose for me from the library knowing I was house-bound.  I ambled up to the sewing room with a vanilla coffee in hand and made 8 quilt squares from the jelly roll fabric and planned the next two.  My daughter picked the fabrics for two different squares so she was thrilled to be a helper.  The fabrics are florals, paisleys, birds, and dots in pink, turquoise, brown, cream, and green.  I'm not sure how I'm going to put the top together ye - I may put a white border between the squares to show them off? Or maybe together?  And thoughts?

Then I cut out 11 new beach bags.  The new outer fabrics are a charcoal gray and plum and tan big paisley, a teal and brown paisley, and a funky blue, green, teal, and tan print.  I sewed on the outer labels and the labels for the inner pocket.  My totes are reversible so I always sew a label to each side. :-)  Twenty-two pockets are ready to attach! 

While it doesn't look like alot, the cutting of the totes, attaching labels, and sewing the pockets is time consuming for eleven bags.  I felt like the quilt squares went much faster - likely because it looks like more of a "result" with a finished square.  I'm hoping I'll have time to finish these projects before May's FNSI, but if not, I'll pick up where I left off.  :-)

Saturday Morning!

Today I had a dentist appointment at 9am. Ugh. What a way to start the day!  But better to start out on the low-point.  On the way home, I popped into our grocery store to see if there were left over Easter plants on sale.  The tulips out front weren't priced, so I went to the florist counter.  About 15 more pots were on the back counter.  I asked the lady how much the tulips were and she said out front, $7.00, but the ones on her counter that were all "bad" were $3.00.  Perfect!  I looked through these and I tell you, I really wanted the bulbs for next spring, but the plants weren't in terrible condition.  Maybe the blooms weren't as fresh, but the pinks and purples were lovely!  I took three, one of which is all buds (lucky me), and then she threw in another and said $10.00 for the four.  Yipee!  So Little Olive and I whipped out our 'trowels' as she calls them.....

The yellow tulips are from Easter last year.  Since it has been so warm, they started coming up in February and bloomed last week. Crazy!  Don't you love the hat she gave me?

Friday Night Sew-In: April 20 Sign-Ups

The sign ups for the April 2012 Friday Night Sew-In are open on "Handmade by Heidi" blog.  There is a theme this month - to make a pillowcase for a sick child through the organization Conkerr Cancer.  Conkerr Cancer tag line at the top its website is “Giving sick kids a reason to smile.. one pillowcase at a time.”


I have a few projects lined up, but I'm having my dermatologist-prescribed blue-light treatment Thursday night, so if it is anything like last time,I may be laying low that night.  I'm hoping not!

FNSI: March Results!

While I didn't get the new quilt top started like I'd planned, I did manage to get 6 new blankets done.  I cut six of the green jungle, so two are still in pieces, but at least these got finished and ready for matching onesies and bibs!  For the new baby boys out there....

 Green Jungle - look closely - what made the designer of this adorable fabric include a whale??

 Alexander Henry "Zoo" fabric - love the bold colors and graphic animals...

 Dinosaurs!  T-Rex, Stegasauraus, and Brontasauraus

I'm going to check out the other FNSI results!

Last weekend, I finished these totes....since I've already taken the pictures, I thought I'd show them off too.

Damask and Nautical Rope - Reversible

 Green Damask and Stripe - Reversible

 

Blue and white stripe and Swirls - Reversible

Friday Night Sew-In: 3/16/12

So the Friday Night Sew-In is tonight!  I have some blankets to make and want to start a new quilt top.  Yay!  Here is the info if you're interested in joining....FNSI INFO. 

Top 10 U2 Songs....

A few months back, and it could very well have been a year ago, one of my dear brothers posted his Top-10 U2 songs to Facebook.  When I saw it, I promised my rebuttal, but I couldn't find all my disks so that I could start listening to jot down my list.  Making the Top 10 proved harder, much harder, than I originally thought because I just like too many of their songs!  I finally did it - so hard to narrow it down, but here it is:
1) Wire - This is my all-time favorite...others are not in order....
2) Love Comes Tumbling
3) So Cruel
4) Two Hearts (my first favorite U2 song)
5) Please
6) Elevation
7) City of Blinding Lights
8) Zooropa
9) Three Sunrises
10) Love and Peace or Else

These were on my scrap trying to muscle into the top 10.....A Man and A Woman....Ultraviolet....Gone...Trip Through Your Wires....Discotheque...Party Girl...Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me...In God's Country....11 O'Clock Tick Tock.

The thing is - none of my tops are on my Brother's tops.....these are his:

1) One
2) New Years Day
3) Pride
4) Bad (Live)
5) Where the Streets Have No Name
6) Sometimes you can't make it on your own
7) Heartland
8) All I want is You
9) Zoo Station
10) Silver and Gold (live)

Anyone care to chime in??

FNSI: Results

I didn't get my pictures taken or therefore, posted for the FNSI results.  :-(  We headed up to my MIL's 70th birthday dinner on Saturday, and I just didn't get pictures taken in time to post before we left.  I intended to post yesterday, but you know that nasty stomach bug going around? YES, it landed on me and I spent all of Saturday night puking.  Absolute misery.  Yesterday the fever came.  Today - feeling better, but not near 100%.  So much for all my long-weekend plans.  I'll be lucky if I pop outside today.  Oh well, there is always next month!

Layer Cake Giveaway - On Two Blogs!

Through FNSI, I found a great new blog to follow, "Seriously, I think it needs stitches".  And on that blog, there is a fabric giveaway of a layer cake!  To enter, click this link to get the info...but I hope I win.....

AND on "Making Rebecca Lynne", on her "Think Tank Thursday" post, she is also giving away a layer cake!  Through the link, you can also enter her fabric giveaway...

Friday Night Sew In: February 17, 2012

The link to sign up for the FNSI....I'm planning to finish up some in-progress projects.  :-)  But, I'm working the day of the designated sew-in, so my progress may not be all that great.  By the time I'm home and ready to start, my head wants to hit the pillow.  So we will see!

FNSI Results: Blankets and Gift Set

A new finished gift set in adorable animals! This fun animal-print fabric is so sweet.  Paired with either a green bib and onesie set or a yellow bib and onesie set.  I also finished up more light dog blankets and an airplane set...the first of each went out to Indiana for two new bouncing baby boys, so I needed to make others.

 Hope others that joined FNSI were productive! 

January 20: Friday Night Sew-In

The first Friday Night Sew-In of 2012!  It is my New Years resolution to try and make as many of these this year as possible.  Sometimes I forget, or am too tired, but I'm going to mark my calendar nonetheless. 

January 2012 - Three New Quilts!

My goal is to get up some new quilts throughout the year.  Here are THREE - yipee! Three new quilts!!

1) Today we have done a vintage feedsack fabric blues, greens quilt.  It is quilted on the diagonal through the squares and has a new turquoise, purple, and white plaid back. 

2) We also finished an adorable - in my opinion - girl quilt.  The top is cotton squares in various pastelly-colored fabrics with little girls playing, jumping, watering plants, playing ring around the rosy.  Just very sweet fabrics!  We put a plaid pink flannel border and backed it in pink with white polkadot flannel fabric, so it is soft and cuddly.

3) We bought the Sugar-Pop fabrics designed by Liz Scott for Moda Fabrics...and it is a great set of brighter colors. No"baby fabrics" but makes for a great baby quilt ot lap quilt for an adult....

 What do you think?
Vintage Feedsack Quilt

Girl Hopscotch / Playing Girls quilt

Sugar Pop Quilt